How BYU basketball's supporting cast turned 'dark moment' into glimmer of March magic

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One week ago, Kennard "Moo" Davis Jr. was a starting shooter going through a slump, Dominique Diomande was a seldom-used reserve, and Khadim Mboup was a fan favorite who couldn't find much favor for playing time as BYU men's basketball rode a three-game losing skid to UCF, West Virginia and Cincinnati.

But after a 68-48 win over those same Mountaineers in the second round of the Big 12 men's basketball tournament, even Phil Collins may be stating the obvious of these Cougars: "Take a look at me now."

In two games against the same opponent in 11 days, BYU (23-10) couldn't have been much different.

Riding the confidence of an 82-76 win over then-No. 10 Texas Tech in an emotional regular season finale, the Cougars bottled up lightning in back-to-back wins over struggling Kansas State and that same West Virginia squad that punked the visitors on the glass in a 79-71 win during a two-game east-coast road trip that head coach Kevin Young called one of the season's low point that included the loss of star senior Richie Saunders to an ACL injury.

"It was a dark moment for our season," he said. "I just had to figure out — we have too much talent. Let's figure this out, even without Richie.

"We took it back to the basics and we just dumbed it down with our defense," he added, "got a lot less coachy and a lot more just do it harder, longer, stronger, faster — and kept it real simple. And our guys have really taken to that, led by these two tonight."

"These two" referred to AJ Dybantsa, the Cougars' five-star freshman and nation's leading scorer who had another standout performance with 27 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals; and Davis, who scored a season-high 20 points for his third straight double-figure game for the first time in 2025-26.

Davis was so focused while shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 5-of-6 from 3-point range, including 17 in the second half, that he joked he "didn't see either" Chiefs coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes seated courtside at the T-Mobile Center.

"I was locked in," he added.

That's been the case for a BYU team who turned a three-game skid into a triple-game slump buster to start the postseason, showing flashes of the former top-25 team that initially had the Cougars as a trendy pick to play through the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Once left for dead, BYU is very much alive in March — and with a supporting cast intent on making the magic last as long as possible.

There's ace rebounders Keba Keita and fan-favorite Mboup, who combined for 14 of the team's 35 rebounds while limiting the Mountaineers to 10 offensive rebounds.

Diomande came off the bench to spark BYU, both with a pair of dunks that included a vicious windmill set up by Dybantsa as well as with a defensive effort led by three steals in 15 minutes off the bench.

Sometimes the simplest plays — like Diomande's plate of brisket and mac and cheese smothered in Kansas City barbecue sauce — are the best recourse.

"Before the Big 12 tournament, we only had like two days of practice," Diomande recalled. "And we had probably the shortest practices all year.

"They were maybe 60 minutes (each), and we just focused on details like playing hard, get a rebound, and playing one-on-one defense. That's it, and that's why I think it's working right now."

Defensive and offensively, where Davis has found his way out of his own self-described shooting slump to connect on 13-of-25 3-pointers including 5-of-6 against the Mountaineers.

"Coaches just kept trusting me, telling me to do something else to get going, go get an offensive rebound or get an assist," he said. "I feel like they helped me out a lot."

They'll look to continue the run against second-seeded Houston, the only team in the Big 12 that Young hasn't defeated at least once in two years at BYU. Then it's off to the NCAA Tournament, where a seed as high as No. 6 awaits a team with new life.

But first …

"In terms of Houston, great respect for their program and what coach Sampson's been able to build there," Young said. "It's pretty remarkable what they've been able to do.

"I love playing his team because you've got to have the toughness that's required, like what we had tonight, because that's how those guys play. … It will be fun to go out there, to play against the best."

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